COUNCILLOR ERASER'S CODE
TriE spirit in which one nl least of the Labour members of the City Council faces his responsibilities was .made absolutely plain at the meeting "of that body on Thursday evening. Iri .supporting a proposal that he should, he. replaced on the Tramways Committee, by Councillor Hutchison, who is secretary of the Tramways Union, Councillor. P. Fbaser, M.P., observed .that it "would .really "make ,no difference, as anything'that did occur would be conveyed to . the, [Tramways] union." Asked whether this applied to "anything confidential,'•' lie replied:'"Anything that concerned the. interests of the workers." This attitude, obviously, is quite clearly distinguished from one of protest' against the transaction of business in camera" that ought to be dealt with-in-public. Many public and semi-public bodies have fallen into n bad and undemocratic habit of "going into committee" on quite inadequate grounds. It may be noted in passing that there are no worse offenders in this respect than such Labour organisations as Councillor F.iuskr and his Labour colleagues on tho City Council arc associated .with. In the case of the Gity_ Council and its committees, as in that of Labour unions, there is much to bo said for frankly dealing with all possible business in the open light of day. At tho samp time, any public body is called upon at times to transact business which is and
should be confidential. In the matl.er of contracts, for instance, see.rc.cy, up to the point, at which a lontlor is accepted ;iikl (ho details announced, is essential as a. moans of obviating the possibility of fraud and crooked dealing and also to ensure fair play as between persons or firms tendering. Then again, in regard to such staff matters as a body like the City Tramways Committee, lias to deaf with, secrecy for the. limy being very often is indispens : able in the -public interest a-ntl in the. interest of the workers '.. concerned. There are occasionally negotiations with the Tramways Union' in regard, to wages and working, conditions, and as apart of such" negotiations both bodies meet separately in private. Apparently it counts for nothing with Councillor Fra'ser that the council, in such negotiations, represents the' public: as a whole, and is in honour bound, while, dealing justly with its employees, to study and safeguard the public interest. Under the code he has invented be willayowcdly use his position-on the Tr.aniwa.vsX'om-. mittee. to betray its proceedings at such times to the union. Would Councillor Fraseb divulge the. proceedings of an industrial union insimilar circumstances? \) T c. sire.confident he would not; moreover, he would have some very harsh things to say concerning anyone guilty of such betrayal. As has been .said, he was not contending on Thursday evening for the transaction of business in the open. Ii; is tffo whole point of his attitude that he proposes without reservation to subordinate the interests' of the community at large to those of a limited section with which he has associated himself.
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Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 223, 14 June 1919, Page 8
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496COUNCILLOR ERASER'S CODE Dominion, Volume 12, Issue 223, 14 June 1919, Page 8
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